Plug-in vehicles, such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles, may include a rechargeable power source, such as a battery, that is configured to accept electrical power from a power source located externally to the vehicle. Such external power sources may include standard household electric outlets, external chargers or charging stations.
It is anticipated that owners and operators of plug-in vehicles may recharge their vehicles during the day or overnight in preparation for same-day or next-day's travels. Such vehicles may be charged in garages and carports and/or other poorly illuminated areas. It is therefore anticipated that owners and operators of plug-in vehicles will need an illumination source on their plug-in vehicle to illuminate the recharging port to facilitate engaging the recharging port with an extension cord or other cable.
As plug-in vehicles become more common in the marketplace, it is possible that local utility companies may need to manage the demands placed on their electrical power output by selectively enabling and/or disabling their customers' ability to charge their plug-in vehicles at predetermined times of day.
A person recharging a plug-in vehicle may wish to ascertain information relating to the battery such as whether the battery should or should not be recharged, whether the battery is receiving a charge when plugged in, whether the recharging process has been interrupted by the local utility company, and when recharging of the battery is complete, to name just a few. Additionally, a person recharging the vehicle may wish to input start times or completion times for the recharging process, or other information relating to the operation of the plug-in vehicle.
It may also be desirable to ascertain the state of charge of the battery, whether there is a fault in the recharging process, whether it is advisable to recharge the battery in view of the anticipated length of the next drive, and how often some drivers should recharge the battery. In addition, it may be desirable to have some or all of this information available from outside the vehicle.